Watching the morning mist rise over the vines while enjoying a cup of tea, I could feel my breath stretch a little longer as my body released some of life’s tension. I’d just woken up from a deeply peaceful night in a shepherd’s hut located in the vineyards of Oxney Organic Estate. Oxney is one of seven award-winning vineyards that are part of the newly launched Rother Wine Triangle, which I’d been exploring the day before. I was brimming with the boundless energy of the passionate growers and owners who make up this newly formed wine route nestled in the Rother Valley region of East Sussex.
Just a short drive from London (but also accessible by train and then via bike, taxi or foot), you might be struck first that you seldom actually see any vines. They’re hidden, waiting to be discovered, within a landscape of deep, ancient country lanes, weaving their way through oak forests and fields divided with hawthorn and blackthorn dense hedgerows.
The vineyards, including Charles Palmer, Carr Taylor, Mountfield Winery, Oastbrook, Oxney Organic Estate, Sedlescombe Organic and Tillingham, form a triangle between the towns of Hastings, Rye and Flimwell.
Bordeaux may have their chateaux, but in England, we are blessed with elegant country estates, of which Mountfield Court, the home to Mountfield Winery, is one. The approach to the handsome red-bricked 18th-century manor is via an impressive avenue of welcoming sweet chestnuts. The tasting room is located alongside the house, inside an old sympathetically renovated stable block. If the weather’s fine, you can taste sparkling wines overlooking the wooded parkland with beautiful, extensive views.
It’s a short hop to Oastbrook Estate Vineyard, where owners America and Nick are a powerhouse of energy and vinous passion. Within moments of my arrival, America put me to work driving a small tractor to do some “mowing”. Don’t worry, she assured me that guests generally sit back, relax and enjoy a glass of one of their outstanding wines from the terrace overlooking their home vineyard plot. I’m still daydreaming about their chardonnay with its concentrated notes of white peaches, soft vanilla and hints of hazelnuts. If you want to extend your stay, there are glamping tents available, and “Vineyard Hollow”, a perfect hobbit-hole hideaway in East Sussex-shire.
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My next stop was Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard, situated just outside the picturesque village of the same name. The tasting room is a tastefully converted brick and crittle glass space with a small terrace outside, tucked away off the main road. Large replantings are underway on this organic and biodynamic estate, so I’m excited to revisit to taste again. In the meantime, you can enjoy, as I did, a freshly prepared platter of charcuterie, local cheeses, quiche and salads alongside a glass of one of their wines – the pet nat, a natural, hazy, unfiltered wine bursting with tart apples and lemon sherbert, went down particularly well in the sunshine.
Charles Palmer Vineyards has to be one of the most beautiful sites for a vineyard anywhere in the UK and beyond. The sweeping drive up to the family-run estate takes you through the 13th-century New Gate, one of the historic gates to the Cinque Port of Winchelsea, now just an evocative ruin, but quite the entrance nonetheless. I couldn’t decide whether to taste their decadent and polished wines under the old walnut tree overlooking the vineyards or on the terrace in front of Wickham Manor, a National Trust-owned 16th-century manor house, of which the Palmer family are the current custodians (you can even stay in one of the wings). It’s breathtaking, both in the quality of the wine and the setting, and I lost myself in the views across the marshland to the English Channel beyond.
Close by is perhaps the most established and famous of the “triangle” vineyards, Tillingham. Set in over 28 hectares of farmland, it comprises vineyards, fruit trees and ancient woodland dating back to the 13th century. You can taste and learn more about their progressive (traditional) techniques, including ageing wines in clay qvevri, while enjoying the great hospitality in their airy restaurant overlooking the vineyard, or staying overnight in one of their rooms.
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The low-lying Rother Valley, in the heart of 1066 country, has a unique microclimate that makes it perfect for growing vines. It has some of the highest sunshine hours of anywhere in the UK, and combined with its terroir of alluvial soils and sand, silt, clay and sandstone ridges, it has all the characteristics necessary for producing exceptional, world-class still and sparkling wines, which are often compared to those from Champagne.
I’ve visited countless wine regions around the world, from the Californian glamour of Napa to the simple cellar door in rural Italy and everything in between. But nothing feels as exciting as the wine scene here in the UK.
In 2023 alone, more than 1.5 million people from home and abroad visited a British vineyard, up 55 per cent from the previous year – and this figure is only set to grow. There are now over 300 cellar doors open to the public in the UK, offering a range of experiences including wine tastings, tours, and a variety of places to stay and eat, from a simple retreat to elevated luxury.
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And, while it’s certainly glamorous to tour the world’s greatest wine regions, from Italy to Champagne and the Napa Valley, it’s a lot cheaper to explore the incredible wines and wine regions we have right here in the UK.
Rosamund Hall was a guest of Oxney Organic and Sussex Winelands. Find out more about tours and tastings and the Rother Wine Triangle on their website.
How to get there:
Trains depart from London terminals to Hastings and Rye, and you can organise onward local taxis from there.
Even if you’re the designated driver, all the tasting rooms have spittoons, so no one misses out on the tasting experience.
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Where to stay
Oxney Organic offers a range of cottages and shepherd’s huts set amongst the vines. Shepherd’s huts at Oxney Organic Estate are available from £320 per night for two people.
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Luxury glamping tents at Oastbrook Estate Vineyards start from £190 per night for two people including a breakfast ‘bakers’ box.
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Rooms at Tillingham from £190 for two people, bed and breakfast.
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The real beauty of the wine triangle is that you don’t have to cram it all in one day. It’s an area that you could stay for a few days, interspersing vineyards with visits to local attractions with international appeal, such as the remarkably well-preserved 14th-century Bodiam Castle and neighbouring Battle Abbey.
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The Cinque Port town of Rye, with its charming independent shops and restaurants, including the newly reopened The George in Rye. And the stunning gardens at Great Dixter, the home of gardener and writer Christopher Lloyd, to mention just a few.
